On July 26, 2024, the Directorate of Naval Armaments of the General Secretariat of Defense of Italy and the National Armaments Directorate of Italy signed a contract with the Italian companies Intermarine, part of the IMMSI group and Leonardo for the construction of five next-generation mine countermeasure vessels for the Italian Navy under the New Generation Minehunter-Coastal (Cacciamine Nuova Generazione-Costieri – CNG-C) program. The total contract value is €1.6 billion, including the supply of relevant equipment and armament and long-term comprehensive service support. The contract includes an option worth €1 billion, which apparently implies the possibility of building three more ships.
The contract follows a 2021 contract between the Directorate of Naval Armaments and Intermarine to design a futuristic mine countermeasure vessel for the Italian Navy under the CNG-C program. The construction of all five now-ordered ships is to be carried out at the Intermarine shipyard in Sarzana near La Spezia, with the delivery of the first two units scheduled for 2028. Intermarine’s share of the total contract value is €1.165 billion (73%). The remaining €435 million (27%) of the contract value is Leonardo’s share, which will supply these ships with the integrated automated combat management, mine countermeasure management system SADOC 4, and new-generation electronic and mine countermeasure equipment.
In line with the latest trends, the new Italian CNG-C mine countermeasure vessels will be large units with a full displacement of about 1,300 tons, carrying various remotely operated and autonomous surface and underwater platforms and devices for comprehensive mine detection and destruction. The ships will also have extended capabilities for underwater work, including seabed operations, to monitor and protect critical underwater infrastructure (cables, pipelines), and to conduct hydrographic and hydrological work.
Similar to the previous generation of Italian minehunters, the Lerici and Gaeta classes, the new ships will have a monolithic composite hull made of glass-reinforced plastic (GRP), which will likely make them the largest non-metallic-hulled combat ships in the world. The hull length will be 63 meters. The ships will be equipped with a combined main diesel-electric power plant, driving two Fort-Schneider propellers and two additional thrusters. The maximum speed will be 13 knots. The crew will consist of 50 people. The ship will have a helicopter deck, presumably for UAV use, and will be equipped with four remotely operated artillery and machine gun installations.
